Five days; 14 hikers; one mission.
The mission was to hike the Fish River Canyon in Namibia unscathed - physically unscathed but mentally and emotionally too.
When you gather a group of long-lost friends - and challenge your bodies to hike (with backpacks of about 15kg each) for seven hours a day over five full days - true personalities and characters surface.
As it turned out, even the start of our adventure was challenging, when the 4x4 shuttle that was supposed to take us to the beginning of the hike had no diesel.My husband and I managed to flag down a tow-truck driver, who let us siphon some fuel. We were so grateful that we dished out some Oreos and chocolates to the driver and the locals who turned out to help.
As it turned out, we really needed that 4x4 to make it over the shockingly corrugated dirt roads to Hobas (where we began the hike).When you're hiking in the bush for days, it's the little things that keep you going - like food.
KFC was a popular and recurring topic of conversation, which wasn't at all surprising since we were surviving on a diet of two-minute noodles, oat bars, dried fruits and nuts. Some juicy chicken would've gone down like a homesick mole.
(If I never see another packet of pre-packed oats, it will be too soon.)
So desperate were we for some treats that, given the chance, we looted an injured lady's stash of food items.
Well, to be more clear, the bag was given to us by two men in her party after she had broken her ankle.
The mussels, Fizzers, bully beef and long-life milk we scored made our day.Were we taking advantage of someone else's misfortune? Maybe, but we were also lightening their load - so we didn't feel too bad.
The best feeding efforts, by far, were by our friends Cameron and Amy, who dehydrated any and all food items possible and still managed to make fresh pizzas on night three.
Even more hilarious were the baboons that night that ate the burnt pizza remains in the fire - talk about fine baboon dining.
The hike was an amazing experience, but the cherry on the top was the camaraderie and the banter as we walked and as we sat round the campfire at night.
When the challenges seemed too much or the fatigue set in, we remembered the wise words of Barack Obama, "Yes we Can(yon)."
Once we had finished the hike, together, it all seemed worth it. As dramatic as it sounds, it transformed us.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: YOU CAN(YON) DO IT TOO!
Namibia's Fish River Canyon - 27km wide and 160km long - is the second-largest in the world (after the Grand Canyon, US).
To access the 85km hike, you must book through Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Only 30 people per day are allowed to start the trail and hiking is only allowed between May and September (it's too hot the rest of the year).
It starts at the view site at Hobas and finishes at the Ai-Ais resort. The cost is about R400, including the park access fee.
There are no accommodations during the hike. Either carry a tent or sleep under the stars.
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